| City: | Oliver Springs, Tennessee |
| Country: | US |
| WATO | |
| Area: | Knoxville metropolitan area |
| Branding: | Atomic 106 |
| Format: | Alternative rock |
| Owner: | Loud Media LLC |
| Sister Stations: | WKCE, WKVL, WTLT, WGAP, WSMM |
| Airdate: | (as WJRV) |
| Callsign Meaning: | "Atomic" |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
| Facility Id: | 170987 |
| Class: | A |
| Erp: | 190 watts |
| Haat: | 532.4m (1,746.7feet) |
| Coordinates: | 36.1081°N -84.3356°W |
WATO (106.1 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Oliver Springs, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville metropolitan area.[1] It is owned by Loud Media and broadcasts an alternative rock format branded as "Atomic 106".
WATO is a Class A station, with an effective radiated power of 190 watts. The studios are on the fifth floor of the Sunsphere in Knoxville.
The station signed on the air in 2009 as WJRV. The station aired a hot adult contemporary music format branded as "106.1 The River".
On May 27, 2020, it was announced that the station was to be acquired by Loud Media.[2] On June 26, 2020, Loud Media launched "106.1 VLZ" with an active rock format.[3] The station changed its call sign on July 1, 2020, to WVLZ.[4]
On October 21, 2024, WVLZ dropped its active rock format, which moved to WSMM (850 AM), and began stunting towards a new format to be launched on October 25, 2024, under new WATO call letters.[5] At 1:06pm that day, WATO launched an alternative rock format branded as "Atomic 106".[6]